Method of emptying rooms of smoke



No. 750,869. PATENTED FEB.-2, 1904.

e. P. MAHONEY. METHOD OF EMPTYING ROOMS OF SMOKE.

. APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1901.

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No; 750,869. PATENTED FEB. 2, 1904.

G. P. MAHONEY.

METHOD OF EMPTYING ROOMS 0P SMOKE. APPLICATION rum) SEPT. e. 1901.

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UNITED STATES Patented February 2, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

METHOD OF EMPTYING ROOMS OF SMOKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 750,869, dated February 2, 1904.

Application filed September 6, 1901. Serial No. 74,589. (No niodel.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. MAHONEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Emptying Rooms of Smoke, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to methods for emptying rooms of smoke and other inelosed'spaces of smoke and gases, such as at fires.

In fighting fires, as it is popularly termed, in large cities conditions are frequently met with where the fire involves in one way or another the combustion of material which generates very heavy smoke, and the heavier it is the greater is its tendency to settle down, so as to become more dense at the floor.

In proceeding into a room in order to ex tinguish the flame and for other purposes, to pass therethrough in order to gain access to any point to attack the fire it is necessary for the firemen carrying the hose (or entering or passing through for any purpose) to crawl on their hands and knees, and it very often occurs that as many as two or three men have to assume this attitude in passing through the smoke-penetrated inclosed spaces in carrying heavily-charged hose.

It very often happens that in dwellings, &c. burning mattresses or' other such like articles of furniture or merchandise produce a very heavy smoke, through which the firemen have to pass in a crouched attitude, and it also frequently occurs that one or more of the attending firemen after having passed into the smokeladen room or inclosure are sent back through it in order to announce to the engineer in charge of the engine to serve more or less water, to increase or decrease the pressure, turn the water on or off, and for a number of purposes. This method of fire-fighting, especially in large cities, while absolutely necessary and essential, frequently results in a more or less permanent injury to the firemen or temporary prostration, and their only known method of securing even partial immunity from the effects of the smoke is by carrying wet sponges in their mouths. Under all of these conditions it is considered highly improper and, in

fact, dangerous when the firemen are once in an inclosed space, such as a room, to open a door or window, for the reason that back draft is thereby set up, which forces the smoke onto the crouching firemen, and the heavier or denser the smoke the worse the conditions are.

The practice of my invention results in either forcing'the smoke and noxious gases in front of and in advance of the firemen as they approach to or' pass into or through an'inclosed space containing smoke or gas or to maintain a zone of non-smoke-permeated atmosphere about them, so as not only to permit them to Work without danger of ill results from the smoke, and thereby increase the efficiency of their Work, but to thin out or totally remove the smoke from the desired portion of the inclosure, so as to enable them to better see the particular point of their attack, and also when desired to enable the firemen to completely drive the smoke out of the inclosure and to prevent a back draft of the smoke.

My invention therefore consists in the systems or methods as more particularly hereinafter described and further pointed out in the claims.

The mechanical features by means of which my present invention can be carried out form the subject-matter of another application filed by me on the 25th day of February, 1903, Serial No. 144,997, to which cross-reference is here made.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, which illustrates an apparatus which I prefer to use in carrying out my method, Figure 1 is aside elevation of a conventional fire-engine, in whole or part complete, diagrammatically illustrating in a convenient way the application of the apparatus which I prefer to use in carrying out my method herein.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section and reversed, of the structural embodiment of my invention, showing part of the engine-frame. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the form of discharge-nozzle adapted for use with my invention. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation thereof. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 00 on, Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig.

6 is a rear end elevation. Fig. 7 is a sectional view of an alternative form of cap for the thereby enables the crew in, charge of the engine to operate thepower parts of the apparatus and to have them handy and to operate them directlyfrom the engine itself, as well as to be convenient to the engineer or firemen of the engine crew. However, the apparatus may be employed separately of the engine, if desired.

At 1 is the main frame of the engine, at 2 3 the forward and rear wheels connected to the frame through the springs 4 5 in any wellknown manner, at 6 the boiler, and at 7 the pump-cylinder forming part of the pumping apparatus of the engine. This pump apparatus involves in all cases a fly-wheel 8, suitably mounted upon a shaft 9 in the bearings 10, supported by the main frame.

.lt is not considered necessary to illustrate a complete engine for driving or rotating the fly-wheel, as the same are of various types, are readily understood, and Iintend that any form of engine for driving the fly-wheel may be employed.

At 11 is conventionally illustrated a rotary air-compressor, the interior organization of which is not essential. Extending through the casingofthe rotary compressor (which latter is supported in any suitable way upon the frame of the engine or at any other desired part) is a shaft12,.upon which is secured a bevel-gear 13, which meshes with the bevelpinion 14, adjacently supported and fixed to an inclined shaft 15, which shaft is supported at one end by a bearing-block 16, secured to the engine-frame, and which extends downwardly and rearwardly' through another bearing-block 17 likewisesuitably secured to the engine-frame, to and within the plane of the circumference of the fly-wheel, having at its rearward end another bevel-pinion 18,'mesh ing with the bevel-gearing 19, which may be formed on or secured to the'spokes 20 of the flyewheel by the flanged plates 21 or in any other desired way. Instead of connecting the fly-wheel and compressor by the shaft and gearing a belt may be employed in the usual way. In this way the rotary motion of the fly-wheel is transmitted through the gearing and shaft to the shaft 12 of the air-compressor, thereby compressing atmospheric air in quantity suitable for the purpose of its use, as hereinafter described.

Extending from the top of the compressionchamber of the compressor is a stationary pipe 22, having a longitudinal branch 23, at

one end of which is secured a safety-valve 24 of desired construction, the other end carrying a coupling 25, from which eXtends(when in use) a hose 26, preferably of light construction, the end of the hose carrying a nozzle 27 which may be provided with means 28 for readily attaching it.

A suitable form of nozzle 27 is shown'in the drawings at Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6, consisting of a tubular and conoidal body, the walls 29 of which are gradually expanded on curved lines from the rear end 30 forwardly to the front end 31, where they gradually decrease, the lines being curved and sloping downward to the front, the chamber being divided by a longitudinal septum 32, preferably extending through the greater part of the length of the chamber, (terminating in advance of the rearend 30, as shown,) thereby forming separate ways or ducts 33 34 throughthe nozzle, the separate ways or ducts converging toward the rear of the nozzle, where they merge into a continuation 35 of the chamber. may be threaded to receive .a coupling 36, which latter receives a nipple 37, to which the hose may be secured.

The forward end of the nozzle is provided with a threaded flange 38 to receive the interior thread formed on the flange 39 of a cap 40, the front wall of which is transversely perforated at 41 and which abuts against the longitudinal septum 32. The perforations may be straight away or deflected, as in Fig. 7, either cap being alternately or independently or permanently employed. A suitable distance to the rear of the cap 40 are the hinge-gates or shut-offs 42 43, adapted to entirely and independently close up the ducts or channels 33 34, so as to permit the compressed air to pass through either the upper or the lower channel or to open both or close both. These gates are segmental disks, their outer edges conforming to the interior configuration of the channels, their transverse straight edges 44 being in the shape of a circular enlargement through which passes a shaft 45, the enlargement being closely adjacent to the septum and adapted to bear upon its surface to make a tight joint.

At46 are lugs formed in the interior of the channels to limit the forward movement of the gates, and which are to be located at such points as to maintain the gates in the closed position.

The outer ends of the shafts above and below the septum project beyond the sides of the nozzle and are provided with wheels 47, the hand-wheels being mounted upon asquared portion 48 of the shafts.

At the sides of the nozzle is secured a stud or pin 49,having aflixed thereto a plate-spring 50, the free end of which bears against the squared portion 48 of the shaft, so that the gates will be held in their elevated or depressed position free from inadvertent displacement. This The end 30 nozzle may be carried by the firemen, together with the line of hose independently of thewater-hose into the inclosure, and by utilizing either the upper or the lower channels compressed air may be directed downwardly from above, so as to cause the smoke to as- ,sume a rotary motion and be banked at the ceiling and be so maintained, allowing the crouched firemen to work with especial immunity from the smoke, or the air-current may be directed upwardly from below, so as to give the smoke a rotary movement downwardly and cause it to be banked below the plane of application of the air, or both channels can be utilized simultaneously for the purpose of forcing the smoke directly ahead of the nozzle, bank it against a convenient wall, or drive it out of the inclosure, the gates being independently or simultaneously operative to secure either of these results at will. The small perforations in the disks 40 cause the compressed air to be sprayed in small streams against the smoke, and if the disks shown in Fig. 7 are used the streams are thrown obliquely against the smoke. In either case the smoke is driven as described above.

Should it be desired to communicate with the engineer or other person in charge of the engine, it is only necessary to close both gates if both are open, or if one is closed to intermittently close it or them, so as to cause the pressure of the air in the hose to work back and operate the safety -valve, the lifting of which will make the escape of air audible to the attendant. For this purpose a whistledrum may be carried instead of or as an adjunct to the valve.

A quick closing of the gate once may be utilized as a signal to shut off the supply of water or air, other intermittent applications of the compressed air to the valve to close both, and so on, thereby by a series of predetermined signals known to the person in charge of the nozzle of the hose and the party in charge of the engine any desired information can be transmitted to such latter party, thereby entirely doing away with the neces sity and danger of having the fireman go back and forth through the smoke-laden inclosure to deliver such information to the party in charge of the engine.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. The method of clearing portions of rooms of smoke or noxious gases which cdnsists in compressing a volume of air or other equivalent propelling medium and projecting the same against the smoke thereby producing a rotary motion of the smoke away from the direction of pressure of the compressed air, and forming a zone free from such smoke and noxious gases.

2. The method of clearing portions of rooms of smoke or noxious gases which consists in compressing a volume of air or other propelling medium and projecting the same obliquely against the smoke and forcing it up or down with a rotary motion and forming a zone of air free from noxious gases.

3. The method of clearing portions of rooms of smoke or other noxious gases which consists in compressing a volume of air or other propelling medium and spraying the same against the smoke and forcing it up or down with a rotary motion and forming a zone free from noxious gases and smoke.

Signed at the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, this 23d day of August, 1901.

GEORGE F. MAHONEY.

Witnesses:

JOHN S. STETSON, EDWARD DE MARcE. 

